OBSOLESCENCE and RENOVATION

20th Century Housing in the New Millennium

Conference: 14-15 December 2015

Abstract / Initial Proposal Form:

1. Paper / Proposal Title: Maintanence Of Revalued Residental Neighborhood: Levend

Case

2. Format: Verbal Presentation / Written Paper

3. Author(s) Name: _Res. Ass. Duygu Yarımbaş & Res. Ass. Canan Erten

4. Email contact details: duyguyarimbas@gmail.com & cananerten@gmail.com

5. University or Company Affiliation: Res. Ass. Duygu Yarımbaş , Mimar Sinan Fine Arts

University, Res. Ass. Canan Erten, Istanbul Bilgi University

6. Abstract (300 words):

Levend neighbourhood of Istanbul was developed under estate investment with 4-

phase development which had been directed by the "Real Estate and Credit Bank of

Turkey" and designed by Arch. Prof. Dr. Kemal Ahmet Aru and Arch. Rebii Gorbon. The

Levend settlement (1st , 2nd and 3rd phases) consists of single storey and duplex

housing units with gardens, which were designed as distinct and adjacent forms. In

addition to the aforementioned typologies, in the 4th phase, mono and row housing

blocks were also constructed. Levend settlement which was constructed according to

a plan, carries an archetype of garden houses evidently. The houses were defined in

terms of social housing during the so-called build-and-sale period. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th

stages of the neighbourhood were realized due to the rising demands of habitants.

Later on, against the the corruptive actions of some business companies that had

started to buy dwellings in the neighbourhood, a union called "Çağdaş Levent Derneği"

was established. The union's operations and attempts provided the neighborhood to be

declared as "Urban Conservation Area" in 2008 (13.05.2008 dated, 3047 numbered

decree). This declaration means that the dwellings on the neighborhood can be used

conveniently to the development plan and the commercial functions in the "Turkish

Real Estate and Credit Bank" area will not be allowed. The commercial buildings (e.g.

banks) that are located in the residential area had started to move to the commercial

areas in the neighborhood. The relocation of commercial functions had also caused

some dwellings to became abandoned. Levend, once a social housing settlement,

now had high real estate value. This means that an innovative renovation and urban

renewal plan should be considered to attract high class citizens to the neighborhood in

terms of providing the residential maintainability . The paper aims to investigate

aforesaid renovation and renewal proposals as well as maintaining the neighborhoods'

architectural and historical values.

7. Author(s) Biography (200 words maximum for all authors):

YARIMBAŞ, Duygu

- B.Arch, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSFAU, 2010

- M.Sc., Architectural Design, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), 2015

- PhD Candidate at Architectural Design Programme (ITU)

-Research Assistant at MSFAU, Istanbul

- Collaborator of Studio Per Se Architectural Design and Research Studio, Istanbul.

ERTEN, Canan

- B.Arch, Yildiz Technical University (YTU, 2011)

- M.Sc., Architectural Design, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), 2015

- PhD Candidate at Architectural Design Programme (ITU)

-Research Assistant at Bilgi University, Istanbul

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